The IHL Chicago Wolves have reached a three-year deal
with six Chicago-area cable systems to heighten exposure,
according to Michael Hirsley of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Wolves
President Bob McAuliffe said that both the team and cable
systems will "make financial and marketing contributions
rather than the traditional TV rights buying by networks to
TV-time buying by teams." The deal puts the team on 26
channels with a combined reach of "all of the area's 1.6
million cable households." McAuliffe: "We cross-promote the
team on channels all over the dial with over a hundred
commercials per week. We can offer big regional advertisers
wide audience coverage, and offer small local advertisers
zoned ads or whichever cable channels reach their potential
customers." The cable systems will cover 21 Wolves' games
plus a playoff schedule (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/28).

The marketing of the Flyers' John LeClair was featured
by Ted Ryan of the BURLINGTON FREE PRESS. VT-born LeClair
is "rapidly becoming one of the hottest American commodities
just as the sport is ready to take center stage at the
Olympics in Nagano," and the list of companies "seeking to
add LeClair to their stables of athletes is growing and
beginning to reach beyond the local markets of" PA and VT.
LeClair's agent, Lewis Gross of Sports Professional
Management, said LeClair is "involved" in talks with Norelco
shavers, ComCast Cellular Phones and Warner Bros. sports
apparel about new deals. Gross: "With the Olympics coming,
people in the market are looking for someone to grab on to.
If the U.S. team does anything, (advertisers) need a guy to
be the focus guy." Gross added that LeClair turned down a
potential deal with Wendy's when they wanted exclusivity.
As for a potential deal with VT's Ben & Jerry's ice cream?
Gross: "We spoke with Ben & Jerry's. I thought that was a
natural, but they said it wasn't that they weren't
interested [in] John, they're just not interested in athlete
endorsements" (BURLINGTON FREE PRESS, 11/27).

Bauer will be the exclusive supplier of authentic
jerseys for the NHL Nashville Predators. Bauer will also
offer replica jerseys available at retail on a non-exclusive
basis to other NHL teams currently not offered by Nike (NHL
Enterprises)....The Devil Rays have signed a five-year
sponsorship deal with coffee manufacturer Melitta USA (ST.
PETERSBURG TIMES, 11/27)....Nobody Beats the Wiz is "denying
industry rumors it will file for bankruptcy protection in
the next few months" (Kevin Hunt, HARTFORD COURANT, 11/27).
CORRECTION: Henry Kay Jewelers, which has received an NBA
license, is based in Chicago, IL (THE DAILY).

The marketing of 13-year-old Australian tennis prodigy
Todd Reid was examined by Robin Finn of the N.Y. TIMES in a
front-page feature. No 13-year-old male tennis prospect
"has ever pocketed this much money or generated this much
hype." Reid: "I don't really know how good I am, but it's
nice to get all the free stuff" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/30).
TOO MUCH, TOO SOON? Reid, whose agent Pete Colbert also
acts as his legal guardian, "already boasts five corporate
sponsors and a three-year tennis scholarship" to the
Bollettieri Sports Academy in FL. Colbert signed
sponsorship deals with Qantas, KFC, Head and adidas, which
enabled the Reid family to send him to Bollettieri's
academy. Todd's father Bob Reid, on his son's sponsorship
deals, which total a reported $350,000: "I think there's a
difference between exploiting someone and trying to build
them a comfortable future." Finn added that "while there is
confusion as to whether Colbert initiated contact" with
agencies IMG and Advantage Int'l over representing Reid,
both agencies say that Colbert "was looking for too much,
too soon." IMG's Gavin Forbes: "We suggested to Peter that
he should slow it down a little" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/30).
LOCAL LEVEL: KFC, which estimates its investment in
Reid at the "low-level six-figures" over three-years, is
hoping to use its ties to Reid "for a future challenge to
McDonald's, a prominent sponsor of Australian tennis." KFC
Regional Marketing Dir Greg Creed: "It's about investing
some money behind a young kid who needed help. ... And I'd
have to say I was a little surprised at the level of
exposure that's been provided" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/30).